Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are gaining more attention as days pass. Aside from the advantages that cryptocurrencies have like anonymity and easy international transactions, people are enticed by the fact that it can become a good investment.

TMX Group Ltd., which owns the 166 year-old Toronto Stock Exchange, announced on March 22, 2018 that it would launch a cryptocurrency platform and thereby enter the burgeoning market for virtual currencies.

As predicted in our 2016 year-end report, 2017 proved to be a busy year for Fintech in Canada, with a number of important regulatory developments. With the dawn of 2018, we look back to summarize some of 2017’s most notable Fintech regulatory developments in Canada, as well as developments to watch for in 2018.

The following discussion provides a general description of blockchain and distributed ledger technologies (DLT) and the current state of the regulatory landscape in Ontario. To date, the Ontario Securities Commission has not explicitly categorized a blockchain token or coin (which are further discussed below) as an investment contract or other type of security under section […]

A blockchain is a peer network of nodes that use a distributed ledger that can be used to track transactions involving value including money, votes, property, etc. The most well-known application of blockchain technology is bitcoin. Transactions on a blockchain are not regulated by any central counterparty: the individuals involved in a given transaction provide their information (including personal information), a record is created that can be verified by nodes in the network. In this sense, the users forming the community act as their own regulators.

Recent hacker attacks — including the first successful attack on an Apple computer, and several attacks on U.S. and Canadian hospitals — have reminded Canadian businesses of the need to be vigilant about the danger posed by ransomware.